Angel Food Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sift together 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and the flour and set aside. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites, salt and baking powder to stiff peaks. Switch the mixer to a lower speed and gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar.
2. Beat until homogeneous and glossy. Add the vanilla and lemon zest. Sift 1/4 of the flour once more over the whites and fold in until combined, but now using a spatula.
3. Add the remaining 3/4 of the flour mixture in 3 additions and fold until fully incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into a greased 25 cm springform pan (with a removable bottom). Bake the angel cake for 35–40 minutes.
5. It is done when, at a light touch of a finger, it springs back. Turn the finished cake out while still warm and, once cooled, release it from the pan. Serve dusted with powdered sugar or glaze as desired.

Egg custard cream (not particularly complicated):

1. First, whisk the egg yolks with a whisk in a large, deep bowl. Add the vanilla to them.
2. Take a deep, wide non-Teflon pan — because the sugar goes in first and is caramelized. Be careful not to burn it! The moment you smell the caramel aroma, add the cream and the milk. The sugar will harden abruptly. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. When it boils, remove from the heat.
3. Here another person can be useful — one stirs the yolks constantly and persistently with the whisk while the other, with a ladle, carefully pours in the hot mixture. The idea is not to curdle the yolks. After everything is combined in the large bowl, return the whole mixture to the pan and set it over low heat (about 4 on a 10-level burner) and stir. You can use higher heat, but you risk curdling the yolks — which is not disastrous, but you may want a smooth cream.
4. Stir with a wooden spoon for at least 10, 15, or even 20 minutes, until you get a thick cream. You'll know it — the thickness is like that of standard cake batter. Pour it back into a deep bowl and chill.